Tag: Donna Gallagher

Releasing a new series, especially in a new genre is exciting and terrifying at the same time. After seven books in my League of Love series I thought it was time to try something new. So I swapped my sexy Aussie sportsmen for the hot alpha ex-soldiers of Haven Security.

I love a new release but, not so much the promotion. I always feel like I’m pushing my book down your throat so to speak. I even get tired of seeing me 😉

Then there is the blog tour with the help of Book Rhythm – thanks so much Muse for organising this for me. There is a Rafflecopter running with a $100 Amazon gift card up for grabs – so go forth and enter.

I’ve also been happy dancing all over the place over the positive reaction An Opportunity Seized has been receiving. Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers and readers who took the time to read my book and write a review. Here are just a couple…

My book tour for A Fruitful Intimacy is well under way and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all my tour hosts. With special thanks to Book Rhythm and Sparkle Book Tours for putting it all together for me. Big cheers to the blog hosts that went the extra mile, read my book and wrote a review – You Rock!

There’s still time to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. Just click on one, or all of the wonderful bloggers pages below for a chance to win.

I had the pleasure of visiting Cara over at the Cara Sutra Blog to chat about my League of Love series and my latest release A Fruitful Intimacy. If you haven’t checked out the Cara Sutra Magazine you really should. You can read reviews for erotic books, sex toys, clothing and bedroom essentials or join in the forums for some advice.

Cara Sutra is best known for her blog at Cara Sutra – The Best Sex Blog & Sexuality Magazine. Having blogged her sexy and kinky escapades for over 6 years, Cara has built up a loyal following of readers which steadily grows as more discover her unique and inimitable style. From diary style entries to philosophical ponderings and a smidge of opinionated rant, Cara Sutra’s blog is definitely one to bookmark.

To celebrate the re-release of my short story A Fruitful Intimacyby Totally Bound Publishing, I thought I’d offer a few e book copies as a giveaway. Entering is simple, just tell me where you would go for a second honeymoon or to reignite that spark with your significant other.

In my story Ben and Beth go to a beautiful island off the coast of Australia. Heron Island is a natural coral cay 89 kms off the coast of Queensland, on the Great Barrier Reef. In the crystal clear aquamarine waters surrounding the island, stunning coral gardens and sea creatures great and small flourish in abundance and colour.

The fire and passion of their love has slowly ebbed away through years of neglect. Can a second honeymoon re-ignite that spark?

There has been no physical contact in their marriage for so long that when Ben first hatches his plan to take Beth away for the weekend, it really is all about the sex and providing an environment where there are no distractions and no excuse for her to refuse his advances again. But while Ben is making all the arrangements, it suddenly becomes clear to him that there’s something more important at stake— His marriage, to the woman of his dreams, is actually in trouble.

Beth believed that motherhood would come easily, that building a perfect world around her three sons and husband would be achievable. But reality has proven her wrong. The more she tried, the more her failures shattered her confidence. Where she planned to shower her family with home baked cookies, smiles and unconditional love, she struggles just getting the evening meal on the table. By the end of the day she’s so exhausted that she can’t even fulfil her marital obligations. Once upon a time making love to Ben was just as necessary as breathing, before her body was ravaged by the demands of pregnancy and childbirth. They’ve grown so far apart that Beth’s convinced Ben’s having an affair.

Can a second honeymoon really help Beth and Ben bridge that growing divide between them and bring back the fire and passion that has slowly, through years of neglect, ebbed away? And will this give the couple a much needed chance to work together for a happier future? Or is it too late?

Excerpt– A Fruitful Intimacy

The heat from the sun’s rays kissed her shoulders. Droplets of perspiration ran down her bikini-clad back as she raced across the powdery, soft sand. Her laughter, using up the much needed oxygen from her lungs, joined together with the sounds of the gulls squealing above. Grains of sand from Ben’s nearing footfalls stung the backs of her calves as he closed in on her. She knew he would catch her quickly. She welcomed it. As his arms closed around her waist, she felt her feet lifted from the ground and their bodies tumbled together into the spill of the ocean.

Ben had turned them at the last moment so his body would cushion her fall, but the splash of seawater covered her. The refreshing salty feel of the warm water cooled her skin but only Ben could extinguish the sexual fires burning within her.

“Running from me already, Mrs Russell? On our honeymoon, no less.” He laughed as his lips moved over hers, demanding yet gentle at the same time. His tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth in its welcomed assault, hers matching the intensity and hunger equally. The beach deserted—Ben’s hands explored her body, cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples into hard buds, causing a ripple effect to heighten her already sexual state. Liquid pooled in her bikini bottom, mixing with the salty wash of the waves rhythmically lapping and breaking over her sensitized pussy.

“Touch me, Ben,” she pleaded, as his strong fingers delved beneath the sides of her wispy swimwear, easily pushing the fabric aside. Their promised destination had her panting with need, spreading apart her thighs in encouragement. She arched her hips forward, impatient for that moment when Ben’s talented touch would make contact with her throbbing clit—wanting to make her pleasurable climb to destination bliss.

What about the warm dishwater had Beth reminiscing about her honeymoon? There was nothing romantic about doing the dishes. After ten years of marriage and bringing three kids into the world, she had cleaned up more times than she could count. Could just the feel of the warm water on her skin be enough to bring about those memories of better times? Swimming, relaxing, or making love had been their only concerns back on that romantic, idyllic island. Whatever the reason for remembering how things used to be, it did nothing to improve her mood. Those days, when romance and sex had been a wonderful feature of her marriage to Ben, were long gone.

Once upon a time they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Ben had taught Beth all there was to know about sex—sensual, needy, or just plain hot and heavy sex. Together they had explored most of the positions listed in the Kama Sutra. Marking them off one by one as they’d groped, stroked, licked or sucked over every inch of each other’s naked flesh. These days she was lucky to get a kiss on the cheek as Ben raced out of the door on his way to work.

I’m pleased to be able to share my new cover art for An Opportunity for Redemption. This is the second book in my new Haven Security series, following on from An Opportunity Seized.

Set in Australia, my romantic suspense stories feature Nathan Haven and his team of highly skilled, lethal ex-military men at Haven Security. These sexy alphas are more than qualified to protect their clients from danger but are completely defenceless when it comes to the women that capture their hearts.

Two unforeseen moments in time— One brings them together. The other is a danger so real it could tear them apart.

Antoinette ‘Toni’ Grimaldi prefers to keep out of the spotlight, blend in with the crowd and experience life the same as the bulk of the population. Being a mining magnate’s daughter is a difficult persona for her to uphold. She just doesn’t fit in with high society standards, always managing to say something inappropriate or trip over her own feet at the worst possible moment. Resulting in that look of disappointment and embarrassment her parents inevitably wear whenever she’s around.

Meeting a handsome stranger who comes to her rescue and asks her out on a date is so much more than Toni could have ever hoped for on her dream holiday – one she is surprised her parents have even permitted her to take alone. Her fairy-tale moment is short lived though, when Toni discovers the stranger has been hired by her family to follow her every move – under the guise of keeping her safe.

Jason finds he is drawn to Antoinette, she is nothing like the socialite, he was expecting to shadow around London’s nightclubs at all. After an awkward first meeting he convinces Toni that there is more to his interest in her than just as her bodyguard. To his surprise his attraction for the soft spoken, thoughtful woman grows, despite his usual reluctance to commit to any kind of relationship.

A disaster at one of the family owned mines and a string of death threats forces Toni to return home and her need for a bodyguard becomes a life and death reality.

Early download available from Totally Bound – 16th January 2015

General release – 13th February 2015

Blurb – An Opportunity for Redemption

She kept his son a secret for years, should pay for that deceit. Instead, he was fighting the urge to drag her back into his arms – and bed.

When ex-commando, Nathan Haven discovers he has a son it’s enough of a kick to the guts. Learning at the same time, this child he’s never met, is losing the battle with leukaemia, the last straw. He vows to make Rebecca Hammerton regret her decision to keep his son a secret from him. But first he is going to do everything in his power to help defeat the disease that threatens his boy’s life. Then he will deal with the woman that walked away from him seven years ago without so much as a by your leave, turning his heart to stone.

He just has to suppress the constant urge to drag the damn sexy heart-breaker back into his arms, and his bed, first.

My debut post on the Totally Bound Publishing blog is live. I talk about a little incident that happened to my husband when we were on holiday in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Here’s a snippet to pique your curiosity and yes it does involve a monkey!

“So, embarrassed and having lost his battle, hubby withdraws quickly into the room and slams the door shut. Now I must admit there is a video but I’m not showing you. It’s bad enough that hubby knows this incident will more than likely make it into one of my books.”

I have spread my genre wings and taken a short break from my League of Love, sports romance series. Here is the gorgeous cover for An Opportunity Seized. The first book in the Haven Security series, a romantic suspense/thriller set in the UK and Australia.

Two unforeseen moments in time—One brings them together, the other is a danger so real it could tear them apart.

Antoinette ‘Toni’ Grimaldi prefers to keep out of the spotlight, blend in with the crowd and experience life the same as the bulk of the population. Being a mining magnate’s daughter is a difficult persona for her to uphold. She just doesn’t fit in with high society standards, always managing to say something inappropriate or trip over her own feet at the worst possible moment. Resulting in that look of disappointment and embarrassment her parents inevitably wear whenever she’s around.

Meeting a handsome stranger who comes to her rescue and asks her out on a date is so much more than Toni could have ever hoped for on her dream holiday—one she is surprised her parents have even permitted her to take alone. Her fairy-tale moment is short lived, though, when Toni discovers the stranger has been hired by her family to follow her every move—under the guise of keeping her safe.

Jason finds he is drawn to Antoinette—she is nothing like the socialite he was expecting to shadow around London’s nightclubs at all. After an awkward first meeting he convinces Toni that there is more to his interest in her than just as her bodyguard. To his surprise his attraction for the soft spoken, thoughtful woman grows, despite his usual reluctance to commit to any kind of relationship.

A disaster at one of the family owned mines and a string of death threats forces Toni to return home, and her need for a bodyguard becomes a life and death reality.

I’m very pleased to announce that my novella A Fruitful Intimacy has been given a facelift, tummy tuck and a new home at Totally Bound Publishing.

Originally included in an anthology that is no longer available. I was thrilled when Totally Bound offered to publish my contemporary erotic romance in their Sexy Snax line, with a beautiful new cover and a little extra in the storyline. How good is the name Sexy Snax for a novella or short stories…I love it!
And readers know that when they purchase from this line at Totally Bound Publishing that’s exactly what they are getting – a quick and tasty little erotic story. I like to think of these books as a good way to cleanse that reading palate between full length novels 😉

The fire and passion of their love has slowly ebbed away through years of neglect. Can a second honeymoon re-ignite that spark?

There was no physical contact in their marriage for so long that when Ben first hatches his plan to take Beth away for the weekend it really is all about the sex and providing an environment where there are no distractions, and no excuse for her to refuse his advances again. But while Ben is making all the arrangements it suddenly becomes clear to him that there’s something more important at stake—his marriage, to the woman of his dreams, is actually in trouble.

Beth believed that motherhood would come easy, that building a perfect world around her three sons and husband would be achievable. But reality has proven her wrong. The more she tried the bigger her failures shattered her confidence. Where she planned to shower her family with home baked cookies, smiles and unconditional love—she struggles just getting the evening meal on the table. By the end of the day she’s so exhausted that she can’t even fulfil her marital obligations. Once upon a time making love to Ben was just as necessary as breathing, before her body was ravaged by the demands of pregnancy and childbirth. They’ve grown so far apart that Beth’s convinced Ben’s having an affair.

Can a second honeymoon really help Beth and Ben bridge that growing divide between them and bring back the fire and passion that has slowly, through years of neglect, ebbed away? And will this give the couple a much needed chance to work together for a happier future? Or is it too late?

Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound Publishing.

Here is an excerpt and I’m just wondering…how many of you can relate to how Beth is feeling?

What about the warm dishwater had Beth reminiscing about her honeymoon? There was nothing romantic about doing the dishes. After ten years of marriage and bringing three kids into the world, she had cleaned up more times than she could count. Could just the feel of the warm water on her skin be enough to bring about those memories of better times? Swimming, relaxing, or making love were their only concerns back on that romantic, idyllic island. Whatever the reason remembering how things used to be, did nothing to improve her mood. Those days, when romance and sex had been a wonderful feature of her marriage to Ben, were long gone.

Once upon a time they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Ben had taught Beth all there was to know about sex. Sensual, needy, hot and heavy, together they had explored most of the positions listed in the Kama Sutra. Marking them off one by one as they groped, stroked, licked or sucked over every inch of each other’s naked flesh. These days she was lucky to get a kiss on the cheek as Ben raced out the door on his way to work. More disturbingly, Beth found this new development a relief.

Not that she could blame Ben for his lack of motivation. Beth didn’t need to look in the mirror to confirm she had let herself go. Those bikini-wearing days, like back on her honeymoon, were a long way in the past. Her once flat tummy, now flabby, covered in stretch marks. Her hair, her pride and joy back in the day, treated with regular hair dressing appointments and top priced conditioning treatments now lucky to get a quick brush before being drawn back into a ponytail. A top and shorts or sweatpants, paired with a floppy jumper, her choice of clothing these days, depending on the weather. She had little time to do much more, always something else needing her attention more urgently.

Ben, on the contrary, looked just as good as he did when Beth first met him eleven years ago. In fact, he looked even better in her opinion. He had filled out over the years, but where her body had turned to flab, Ben had muscled up. The laugh lines now gracing his face highlighted his sea-blue coloured eyes, while her wrinkles just illuminated the dark circles underneath hers.

Enough with the maudlin thoughts Beth, she chastised herself as she slapped the last dish into the rack. Pulling the plug from the sink, she watched the water swirl around the drain hole, listening to the gurgling sound it made disappearing from her sight.

Bit like the passion in my marriage. Once a powerful, whirlpool of emotion, now ebbed away to just a trickle of water going down the drain of life, the momentum almost at a standstill…Look at me, such a poet when it comes to describing my happy life. She sighed sadly to herself before stepping away from the sink and drying her hands on the dishtowel

“Well time to wash the clothes, make the beds. Clean the bathrooms. Yes, just another exciting day in the life of Beth Russell.” Her voice echoed back at her, bouncing around the empty room, as she went about her daily ritual. She knew she had no time to spare grumbling because before she knew it the day would be over and the time to collect her children from school would arrive. Trying to achieve anything with her beautiful but rambunctious boys around would be pointless.